Leicester City Vs Sheffield United
Leicester City Vs Sheffield United Thursday 16 July 2020 – 18:00 Kick-Off
English Premier League
Pick: Under 2.5 Goals
Odds: 8/11
Bookmaker: BetVictor
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 13 July 2020)
Preview: Another intriguing battle towards the top of the Premier League, as Leicester look to revitalise their flagging top-four hopes with a second victory of the campaign at home to Europa League hopefuls Sheffield United.
English Premier League Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Leicester City Preview – Odds of a top-four finish tumbling?
The Foxes looked near certainties to finish inside the Premier League top four back in December, after making such a blistering start to the season when winning twelve of their opening sixteen matches. Fast forward to the present day and hopes of playing Champions League football next season are hanging on a knife edge, with Leicester (4th – W17 D8 L10) potentially finding themselves in fifth should Man Utd prosper on Monday.
Since the turn of the year, Brendan Rodgers’ side have been in steady decline, recording four wins from fifteen games in the top flight with only one – a fairly standard 3-0 victory at home to a Crystal Palace team currently on a five-game losing streak – coming in their six fixtures since the restart (W1 D3 L2). They have fared much better at their King Power Stadium, however, winning three and losing one of the last six in East Midlands.
Compounding the current malaise will be the continued absence of central defender Caglar Soyuncu, with the Turkish international suspended for the remaining three games following his straight red card in the 4-1 thrashing by Bournemouth on Sunday. Jamie Vardy notched his 23 league goal of 2019-20 at Vitality Stadium, only for Leicester to capitulate in the second half much in the same way as their second half to this season.
Sheffield United Preview – Blades eyeing up a European adventure in 2020-21?
The Blades are well and truly back in the hunt for a European finish. After failing to win their opening three matches of this restart, not even managing a goal as they drew at Aston Villa before successive 3-0 defeats away to Newcastle and Man Utd, Sheffield United (7th – W14 D12 L9) have since gone four unbeaten (W3 D1), culminating in Saturday’s extraordinary performance at Bramall Lane against Champions League-chasing Chelsea.
A brace from David McGoldrick – netting his 1st and 2nd-ever Premier League goals – either side of an Oli McBurnie header wrapped up a surprisingly comfortable 3-0 victory at home to Chelsea at the weekend as Chris Wilder’s men climbed back into seventh. A position that, were the season to end on the spot, would award Europa League football next season. United have everything to play for in their final three fixtures.
In fact, three points at King Power Stadium would see them move to within two points of their opponents and increase the prospects of potentially sneaking into a top four spot. However, with only one win accrued across their previous eight away league games (W1 D3 L4), scoring no more than one goal in any of those outings whilst failing to even score at all on five occasions, those three points might seem fanciful.
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Leicester City Vs Sheffield United Betting Advice
Sheffield United boast the better form, winning three of their last four league games in a highly-impressive four-game stretch, but it is now one win and only three goals scored in eight away games for the team in seventh. Leicester, meanwhile, for all their detractors right now, are still in the mix for the top four and have only lost once at home in six, winning three, having kept a clean sheet in each of the last three at the King Power.
Leicester City Vs Sheffield United – Key Facts
- Thursday has proven Leicester‘s most unlucky day of the week, as, according to Opta, The Foxes have never won a Premier League game on this day in five prior attempts (D3 L2).
- After failing to win any of their first three fixtures after the restart (D1 L2), Sheffield United have since embarked on a four-match unbeaten league run (W3 D1).
- Leicester have won each of the pair’s past four meetings in league and cup, with Sheffield United winless against The Foxes in seven encounters since a 3-0 home win in the 2007-08 Championship.
There are so many intriguing fixtures taking place between now and the end of the season and this, with so much riding on the outcome for both clubs, is unquestionably right up there. That could lead to a cautious exchange, between two sides whose biggest strengths arguably reside in their back-lines. The reverse fixture at Bramall Lane somehow finished 2-1 to Leicester, despite neither side creating more than 0.71 xG.
Best Betting Odds – Leicester City Vs Sheffield United
Leicester City – 21/20 (Unibet)
Draw – 5/2 (Bet365)
Sheffield United – 16/5 (Betway)
